Adjusting mechanism for gang-plows.



J. A. ANDERSON.

ADJUSTING MECHANISM FOR GANG FLOWS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 14, 1912.

Patented Jan. 25, 1916. I

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

EQ- aW j. ANANDERSON. ADJUSTiNG MECHANISM FOR GANG PLOWS.

1 4 APPLlCATION FILED AUG.14. 1912.

Patented Jan. 25 1916.

4 SHEETSSHEET 2.

JJA ANDERSON ADJUSTING MECHANISM FOR GANG FLOWS.

f APPLICATEGN FILED AUG. 14. 1912. Lifi fifil.

Patentefi Jan. 25, 1916.

4- SHEETS-SHEET 3.

660 M gm ,Jr- A. ANDERSON. ADiUSTlNG MECHANISM FOR GANG PLOWS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG14,19I2.

Patented Jan. 25, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

, UNHE JOHN A. ANDERSON, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

ADJUSTING MECHANISM FOR GANG-FLOWS.

To all-whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN A. ANDERSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis. in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjusting Mechanism for'Gang-Plows; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. I

My inventionv relates to traction gang plows and more particularly to traction gang plows of that type wherein the plows are connected to and carried by the frame of the traction engine.

The invention has for its especial object the provision of improved means'for raising and lowering and otherwise adjusting the plows; and to such ends. generally stated, the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention. like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view showing my invention embodied in av combined traction engine and gang plow, some parts being broken away, and some parts being removed; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1, some parts being broken away, and some parts being sectioned; Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse vertical section taken on the line v m on Fig. 1, some parts being broken away; Fig. 4 is adetail in side elevation showing 1 parts found in the vicinity of the line 40. A

marked a2 :10 on Fig. 1, some" parts being broken away; Fig. 5 1s a sectlon taken approximately on the line m m on Fig. 1, some parts being broken away; and Fig. 6 is a section taken approximately 0n the hne m as on Fig. 1, some parts being broken away.

So far as my present invention is concerned, the traction engine proper'inay take various different forms and the transmission mechanism between the engine and the triotion wheels of the tractor may be of any suitable construction. Hence. the main elements of the tractor proper may be briefly noted as follows:

The numeral 1 indicates a1f approximately Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 25, 1916.

Application filed August '14, 1912. Serial No. 715,125.

horizontal skeleton framework which is intermediately supported on a rear axle 2 having large traction wheels 3. The front portion of the frame 1 is carried in the usual or any suitable way by a front axle and by, front steering wheels -l. which latter are indicated only in part. The numeral 5 indicates a multi-cylinder explosive engine carried on the main frame 1 and connected.

to large driving sprockets 6 on the hubs of the traction wheels 3, through intermediate transmission mechanism of suitable construction indicated as an entirety by the numeral 7.

' In the tractor, as illustrated, four plows 8 are employed, but the number of these plows may be. varied at will, and the plows may to the main framel by connecting brackets 11 and 12. The perforated heads 9 on the front ends of the plow beams 9 are directly pivoted to anchor blocks 13 mounted to move vertically on anchor posts 14 rigidly secured beams 9, the front ends of which are.

at their upper and lower ends to anchor brackets 15 rigidly secured to the oblique beams 10. The vertically adjustable socalled anchor blocks 13 are provided on the front edges with rock teeth that mesh with .gear segments 16 securedon a rock shaft 17,

which. in turn, is journaled in suitable bearings 17 on the oblique beams 10. This rock shaft 17 (see particularly Figs. 2 and 3) is provided with an adjusting arm 18 that works through a bifurcated segment 19 secured on the beams 10. This segment 19 has a series of perforations through any of which a stop pin or bolt 20 may be passed to limit the downward movement of the several anchor blocks 13. g

The free end of thealever 18 is attached to the lower end of a chain or other cable 21, which, as shown, is passed over an idle guide sheave 22 and is anchored to and adapted to be wound upon a windlass drum 23. The idle sheave 22 isjournaled to a bearing '21 on the frame 1 and the drum 23 is loose on rigidly secured to one end of the Windlass ,drum 23 and a cone 30 is connected to the shaft section 26 for sliding movements thereon but for rotation therewith, by a key 31 (see Fig. 5). A spring 32 interposed be tween the cone 29 and the hub of the clutch sleeve 28 tends to hold the former disengaged from the latter.

The rear end of each plow beam 9 is connected to the lower end of a. plow lifting cable 33. The cables 33 are attached to and adapted to be wound upon drums 34 securedto the shaft 26. 'All of the said cables 33 except the one at the extreme left, also run over idle guide sheaves 35 journaled in suitable bearings 36 on the overlying oblique rear portion of the frame 1.

Mounted in suitable bearings on the frame 1 and extended transversely of the shaft 26, just at the rear of the clutch cone 30 is a rock shaft 37 that is provided with five arms 38, 39, 40, 4:1 and 42. The arm 0 works against the grooved hub of the clutch cone 30. The arm 38 is connected by a link 43 to the lower end of an operating lever 1 that is intermediately pivoted to the frame 1.,

The arm 39 is connected by link @L5 to a tripping lever 46 pivoted to the rear portion of the frame 1 with its depending end in position to be engaged by one of the plow beams 9 (see Fig. 2) when the plow beams are-simultaneously raised. The arm 11 'is connected by a rod 47 to a retaining pawl, 48,'pivoted to a bearing 4E9 secured on the frame 1; This retaining dog 48, as shown, is

provided with a single tooth that is engage-' able with laterally projecting teeth 50 of the peripherally toothed ratchet 51 rigidly secured on the shaft 26.

The numeral 52 indicates a hand-operated lever journaled on-the shaft 26 adjacent to r the ratchet wheel 51 and provided with a normal y retracted driving dog 53 that is adaptedjjnengage the peripheral teeth of the saidwheel 51 when it is desired to lift the plows by hand. The front end of the rod 47 is-passed loosely through a.perfora.-.

tion in the arm 4:1 and the said arm, whenmoved forward, is engageable with a stop colIar'or-head 54 0 the said rod, and when: moved in the other direction," depresses a sprin-g55 which is anchored'to the saldrod:

at its front end.

The arm of the rockshaft 37 is coniiectedby a link 56 (see particularly Fig. 6) to a do carrier 5; moumted to slide on a shipper oar This shipper bar 58, at one end, 15 rigidly secured to a shipper lever 59 the Windlass drum The shipper bar. 58

has a single notch, as shown in Fig. 6 that is normally engaged by a dog 61- pivoted to the dog carrier 57 and having along end 61".

The numeral 62 indicates a tripping rod which, at its lower end, is piyotallyconnected to one of the plow beams 9 and at its upper end works freely through a perforation in the said arm 61 and is provided with a tripping collar 62 that is engageable with the said arm. 1

On the plow adjusting cable 21, already described, is a stop 63, which, as showr is of conical or wedge shape form, and is en gageable with a beveled lock lug 64 on the depending end of lock lever 65 that is intermediately pivoted to the bearing 24 to which the sheave 22 is journaled; The other,

frame 1 (see particularly Fig. The shaft 25 is adapted to be continuously driven from the engine 5 through the transmission mechanism 7 and through a driven worm 68 and a coiiperating work gear 69 on the front end of the said shaft 25.

Operation: tially as follows: hen the plows are'in the ground, very great force is required to lift the same, because of the weight of the dirt thereon and because the plows in risin must tear their way through they ground. lVith my improved adjusting mechanism, this is obviated by first raising the front ends of the plow beams sothat the plows, under forward movement of the tractor, will first cut their way out from the ground to the top of the soil, and then the plows are lifted by a'comparatively small power The operation is substaulever 41. This action specifically described is as follows: Normally, the lever 18 will rest on the stop bolt 20, and the depth at which the plows will work in the ground may be regulatedby adpistments of the said =bolt in the perforations of the segment 15).

Then it is desired to raise the plows, the

upper end of the operatinglever at is moved rearward or toward the left in respect to. i. Figs. 5 and 6. The efi'ect of this movement is to tend'to engage'looth of the clutch cones 29 and 30 with the continuously driven clutch meager sleeve 28, by means of the arms 40, 42 but the arrangement is such that the rockingmovement of the shaft 37 operating through the link 56, dog 61, bar 58 and lever 59 will engage the cone 29 with the said sleeve before the cone 30 has been pressed into frictional engagement with said sleeve (hen the said cone 29 is thus engaged by the sleeve 28, it temporarily prevents the engagement ofv the cone 30 with said sleeve, but it instantly throws the-drum 23 into action by winding on the cable 20, rocks the shaft 17, and simultaneously raises the anchor blocks 13, and hence, the frontends of the plow beams 9. Just before the front ends of the plow beams reach their extreme uppermostpositions, the lock 63 on the cable 20 forces aside and then-engages above the lock lug 6% of the lock lever 65, and hence cooperates therewith to prevent the front ends of the plow beams from being again lowered until released by stepping on the foot piece 67.

\ leaves the front ends of the plow beams locked in their uppermost adjustment, which adjustment causes the plows to pull themselves out of the ground under advance movement of the machine. The instant that the dog 61 is unlocked from the shipper bar 28 and the clutch cone 29 and drum 23 released, as just above described the said cone no longer operates as a stop to prevent engagement of the cone 30 with the said clutch sleeve 28, and hence, continued downward pressure on the lever aid will cause the clutch cone 30 to engage the said continuously driven clutch sleeve 28, and thereby stop the winding action of the said cables'33. As the plows are being thus lifted, the dog 48 operates on the lateral teeth 50 of the ratchet wheel 51 serving to hold the plows in their elevated positions. The said retaining dog 48 is adapted to be released when it is desired to drop the plows to the ground by movement of the upper end of the lever and then to lift the same, is accomplished by a movement of the lever 44: in one direction, and that the return of the plows to working positions is accomplished by imparting a re verse movement to the said lever 44 and by stepping on the foot pice 67 of the tripping rod 66.

The plow adjusting and lifting mechani ..n described has, in actual practice, been found, highly efficient and very convenient f .r the purposes had in view.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a truck, of a plow having the front of its beam connected to said truck, a beam-lifting connection between the front end of said plow beam and truck including an operating clutch, a plowlifting connection between said plow and truck including a second operating clutch, a motor with connections for transmitting power to the saidtwo operating clutches, a clutch controlling lever with connections for throwing said two clutches into and out of action, and an automatic trip operating to release the'first operated clutch and .to per,-

mit the other clutch to be thrown into actron.

:2. The combination witha truck and an engine carried thereby, of plows having beams connected to the truck frame with freedom for pivotally raising and lowering movements and for vertical adjustments of the front ends of said beams, of means for vertically adjusting the front ends of the plow beams and for raising the plows bodily, said beams comprising two engine driven clutches, and a controlling lever with connections for throwing said clutches into action, the first engaged clutch serving to hold the other temporarily out of' action, and the said connections including an automatic trip for releasing the first operated clutch and thereby permitting the second clutch to be thrown into action, the first operated clutch serving to vertically move the front ends of said plow beams and the second actuated clutch serving to raise said plows bodily from the ground.

In testimony whereof I 'aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN A. ANDERSON,

Witnesses:

' EDITH SIMERMAN,

v HARRY'D. KILGORE. 

